How Do Square Balers Work?

What is a Square Baler?

A square baler is a piece of machinery used to compact, compress, and cut hay and other materials into square-shaped bales, making it easy to handle, transport, and store.

How Do Square Balers Work?

A square baler works by collecting loose hay, and other materials, off the ground and feeds it into the bale chamber. From there, a plunger moves back and forth towards the hay, and compresses the hay collected into a square shoot. Finally, when the hay is pushed through the square bale chamber, the twine is wrapped and tied around the bale, which helps keep the bale together and maintain its square shape.

How Much Horsepower do you Need to Run a Small Square Baler?

For many small square balers, you’ll need at least 35 horsepower on your tractor's PTO, as well as a minimum tractor weight of nearly 300 points.

What are the Benefits of Using a Square Baler?

Square balers offer a series of benefits for farmers and land owners, including:

  • Ability to bale high quantities of hay or other loose materials
  • Bales are easier to handle and maintain, as well as store, stack, lift, and move
  • Square hay bales are often more desirable for farmers since they provide easy-feeding for animals that farmers are used to

    • What Size Hay Bales Can a Square Baler Produce?

    The average hay bale dimensions depend on the size of the type of equipment used to bale hay. That said, small hay bales traditionally measure around 4 feet wide and 5 feet in depth. On the other hand, larger hay balers can produce bales up to 8 feet wide and 6 feet in diameter.

    What Crops Can a Square Baler Harvest?

    A square baler is most commonly used to collect hay, however, cotton, straw, flax, and silage are some other crops that can be harvested using a square baler.

    What are the Different Types of John Deere Square Balers?

    Currently, John Deere features two categories of square balers: small square balers and large square balers. The models within small square balers and large square balers include:

What’s the Difference Between a Square Baler and a Round Baler?

The biggest difference between square balers and round balers is the type of shape produced when baling hay or other materials. Square balers are used to compact hay into smaller square shaped bales, while round balers are used to create much larger round bales, used for large-scale hay harvesting.

For more information regarding equipment for lawn maintenance, contact your local John Deere dealer.

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Additional Resources

How Do Round Balers Work?

What are the Standard Hay Bale Weights and Dimensions?